Professional bodies demand safeguards against privileged access

The Malta Federation of Professional Associations urged government and public authorities to establish and enforce clear rules for contacts involving political decision-makers, regulators and major economic operators. Representing 17 professional bodies, including doctors, architects, accountants and engineers, the federation said Malta’s size can enable quick problem-solving but also requires firm institutional safeguards. It called for consistently applied protocols on conflicts of interest, material representations and regulatory decisions. The organisation said it was neither entering partisan debate nor prejudging individuals; its intervention addressed the governance risks created when informal communication appears to produce different standards of treatment.